COX's miracle berry
Date: 2021-10-25, updated: 2022-01-20
Two-season crops, early and late ripening, almost continuous fruiting rare blackberry
Plants are thornless
Bushes have semi-erect canes
Fruit weight is 3 g
Berries have a rounded shape
Fruiting habit primocane-fruiting (everbearing)
Flowering on floricanes starts in the fourth week of May
Ripening date (regular) - second week of June
Blooming on primocanes starts in the third week of June
Ripening date (remontant) - first week of September
Cold hardiness is good
Country of origin United States
Patent Plant 6,105 dated February 15, 1988
Current status - obsolete or rarely used
Distinct variety of a thornless blackberry plant that was discovered by Mason E. Cox on his farm on Pinnacle Road, Pineville (West Virginia, United States) in a cultivated area.
The plant has two crops per season, with the second crop beginning about the time that the fruit of the first crop begins to ripen. In a typical year, the first bloom or flowering of the first crop began to appear at the last days of May, with the flowers being white. The flowers last about 3-4 weeks. About July 10, the berries begin to ripen, turning from red to a glossy black. About the same time, the second crop begins to shoot large sprouts down low on the canes. Shooting straight up, the longer sprouts grow as high as the rest of the bush. Some of the longer sprouts fork about midpoint and have as many as four forks with four large clumps of berries on each fork. Smaller sprouts tend to grow out to the sides. The flowers of the second crop also last about 3-4 weeks. The fruiting for the second crop follows the same pattern as for the first crop. Thus, the second crop's berries began ripening about first days of September, and continued ripening for 3-4 weeks.
The COX's miracle berry's plants grows in the form of low, wide bushes having a width of about 10 feet. The cane grows to 3 to 4 feet high, and the limbs grow up from the cane giving the bush a height of about 5 feet. The canes are stout having a circumference at their widest of 4-5 inches. The plant may be characterized as erect to semi-erect. The canes initially have a dark green color and as they grow older change to a maroon-like color. The leaves are dark green and are similar to the wild blackberry leaf. The leaves are compound and generally have five leaflets. The berries are generally round and generally have a length of 1 to 1 inches. The berries are found in clumps.
COX's miracle berry has withstood minus 18 C with the wind blowing, without cover and have not been damaged. Since the plants are late blooming, the danger of frost is minimized.
The plant has two crops per season, with the second crop beginning about the time that the fruit of the first crop begins to ripen. In a typical year, the first bloom or flowering of the first crop began to appear at the last days of May, with the flowers being white. The flowers last about 3-4 weeks. About July 10, the berries begin to ripen, turning from red to a glossy black. About the same time, the second crop begins to shoot large sprouts down low on the canes. Shooting straight up, the longer sprouts grow as high as the rest of the bush. Some of the longer sprouts fork about midpoint and have as many as four forks with four large clumps of berries on each fork. Smaller sprouts tend to grow out to the sides. The flowers of the second crop also last about 3-4 weeks. The fruiting for the second crop follows the same pattern as for the first crop. Thus, the second crop's berries began ripening about first days of September, and continued ripening for 3-4 weeks.
The COX's miracle berry's plants grows in the form of low, wide bushes having a width of about 10 feet. The cane grows to 3 to 4 feet high, and the limbs grow up from the cane giving the bush a height of about 5 feet. The canes are stout having a circumference at their widest of 4-5 inches. The plant may be characterized as erect to semi-erect. The canes initially have a dark green color and as they grow older change to a maroon-like color. The leaves are dark green and are similar to the wild blackberry leaf. The leaves are compound and generally have five leaflets. The berries are generally round and generally have a length of 1 to 1 inches. The berries are found in clumps.
COX's miracle berry has withstood minus 18 C with the wind blowing, without cover and have not been damaged. Since the plants are late blooming, the danger of frost is minimized.